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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Poll: Tea Party, Democrats Popular in Washington State

Politics, That Washington, This Washington   May 11, 2010 at 12:22 pm Erica C. Barnett

Support for—and opposition to—the Tea Party is higher in Washington State than in the nation as a whole, according to a just-released Elway Poll. The poll found that 37 percent of Washington State voters surveyed supported the Tea Party “strongly” (19 percent) or “moderately” (18 percent), while 43 percent opposed it “strongly” (31 percent) or “moderately” (12 percent).

Not surprisingly, Tea Party support was much higher among Republicans (70 percent of whom supported the party, 42 percent of those “strongly”) and self-identified Independents (44 percent of whom supported the party, 20 percent of them “strongly”). Seventy-one percent of Democrats opposed the Tea Party, 53 percent of them “strongly.”

Interestingly, rising support for the Tea Party appears to help Democrats: Adding a hypothetical Tea Party candidate to a generic Republican-vs.-Democrat race reduced support for the Republican from 35 percent to 28 percent, while support for the Democrat remained unchanged at 45 percent.

Even more interesting: A Republican candidate who wants to win more than 51 percent has a choice of seeking out Tea Party supporters (52 percent of whom said they were inclined to vote Republican) and a significant number of undecided voters (67 percent of whom were opposed to the Tea Party). This situation, the poll concludes, “adds up to an intricate dance for Republican candidates. How do they simultaneously
attract committed Tea Party voters, and undecided voters who oppose the Tea Party, while keeping all the Republicans on board?”

Exacerbating Republicans’ likely electoral problems, more voters identified as Democrats than at any point since right before the 2008 presidential election—41 percent, compared to just 27 percent who identified as Republicans. (The rest were undecided or Independent). All of that paints a bleak picture for Republicans’ electoral chances in Washington State this year.




  • CommonSense

    I am a very upset with liberals and progressives for the failure to organize themselves into a power that is ready to stop these radicals. If they (T Party) have 37% support with 20% undecided. We are in serious trouble. wake up folks!!!!!!.

  • Jacob

    Jesus Christ, ECB, republicans don't have to “Go after Tea Party Support”, all they have to do is continue their message of no new tax increases, and fighting to cut government spending!

  • N8

    I am very glad that extreme liberals have not organized in such a way because as a left-leaning voter, I'd abandon the Democrats if there was a similarly large organized radical movement on the left.

  • Jason_Mitchell

    Not surprising, given that Washington and Oregon sport such an anomalous political demography.

  • N8

    No opinion does not equal centrists. If anything, centrists (like me) reject extremist groups, such as the TEA Party, and thus would fall in the strongly oppose category (as do I).

  • Jason_Mitchell

    You're certainly right that “no opinion” does not equal centrist, but that wasn't really my point. My point was that Erica's takeaway from the poll, encapsulated in her headline “Tea Party, Democrats Popular in Washington State,” might sound odd for most any other state, but is unsurprising in a state where the liberals are among most liberal in the country and the conservatives are among the most conservative in the country.

  • giffy

    No, the Tea Party is not more popular in Washington State, more people are just aware of them. Nationwide its split 50/50 support/oppose, but here we have somewhat more people opposing them vs supporting them. 43% to 37%.

    We are just a rather informed state not surprising considering our educational attainment levels and information sophistication.

  • thedoublen

    No opinion does not equal undecided any more than it equals centrist, and assuming a 50/50 split of no opinions is specious at best—especially when no opinions constitute nearly half the responses.

  • giffy

    The best option is to allocate them in the same proportion as those that registered an opinion. Regardless this poll does not support the claim that the Tea Party is more popular in Washington than elsewhere.

  • JusThinkin'

    I would like to see the demographic distribution for our state, which would speak volumes and confirm the largely east-west, and rural-urban divide.

  • Jason_Mitchell

    No, the best option is not to assume. The point is not that the Tea Party is more popular than elsewhere, it is that regardless of the national average you will not find other many _individual states_ where both the Tea Party and Democrats are both so popular.

  • giffy

    Undecideds, especially when the phrasings suggests no knowledge are often allocated to do better comparisons.

    This is a somewhat worthless poll given the high non-response rates. A much better poll would have asked if they had heard of these groups, then asked what they thought with a neutral/no opinion option. That way we could see if it is really that they are more popular or just that we are better informed.

  • Jason_Mitchell

    “A much better poll would have asked if they had heard of these groups, then asked what they thought with a neutral/no opinion option.”

    Now on _that_ we can agree.

  • John S

    The Democrats have lied to the people with their health care reform and didn't even bother to read the near 2300 page bill concocted behind closed doors. They want to make illegal invaders legal? They are bailing out Wall Street and corrupt banks like Goldman Sachs with OUR money? What part of the Democratic agenda don't you like?